1. Field Of The Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to drums. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for compacting material in a standard drum, with the system providing a means to prevent the walls of the drum, between the roll rings, from expanding and rupturing during the compaction process.
2. General Background
In the art of compaction, oftentimes, 55-gallon drums are used as the vessel into which material is compacted because of the features which allow a strong container that can be easily stored. However, one of the shortcomings which has plagued the art in compacting material in such a drum, is the rupturing of the side wall due to the fact that only the roll rings are supported by the wall of the container. The roll rings are a series of raised rings formed in the drum wall, spaced along the length of the side wall, so that when the drum is placed on its side, the drum can be easily rolled since only the rings make contact with the surface it is being rolled along.
During the compaction process, a drum is placed within a chamber and the chamber wall fits snugly around substantially the entire drum wall, to support it under the compaction force, so that if the drum ruptures, workers around the compaction side are not injured, or contamination of hazardous waste contained within the drum is avoided. However, because of the raised roll rings, the wall of the chamber makes contact with the rings, and there remains a void space of around 1 inch between that portion of the drum wall between the roll rings, and the chamber wall. This void space probably comprises some 95% of the drum wall surface. Therefore, often during compaction, the drum wall, under the great forces of the ram, will bulge into the void space, and a rupture will result. Therefore, a drum is ruined, and the compaction process must be undertaken once again, with perhaps the same results, such as dangerous radioactive or flammable or caustic or corrosive material being discharged through the ruptured wall. It should be noticed also that most compactors in the art have in position an "anvil" on the floor of the compactor to compensate for the raised floor of the drum from rupturing when material is forced downward into the drum. However, this failed to solve the problem of the greater majority of the drum wall not being in contact with the wall of the compaction.
Patents have been found which attempt to address the problem confronted and solved by this invention.
Other objects of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.